Floral Fabric Falsehoods
by ploctopus
Summary: Chihro has lived in the spirit world for almost fifty years, but rose-coloured glasses shatter as she discovers a life she never lived :: HakuxChihiro
1. The Pig Barn

Disclaimer: Spirited Away and its characters belong to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miazaki.

**Chapter 1: The Pig Barn**

Chihiro stared blankly into space. Only void greeted her eyes. At least, the void of a starless sky. She exhaled softly and let her body slump over the wooden railing of the bathhouse.

She was at one of the many parties that were thrown by the staff; she had only come because Rin was terrified of being by herself. _Like she needs to worry_, Chiriro thought vehemently, _she's worked with these people for hundreds of years. What's so terrifying about people you've known forever?_ Rich brown eyes threw a contempt-filled glance over her shoulder at the other woman, who stood in the middle of a bunch of yuna, chatting away. _Well, it doesn't matter now. I'm the one alone, aren't I?_ She turned around again, shifting so that her elbows could support her head. Scanning the horizon -- currently dry, the rain hadn't fallen for a few months -- her eyes accidentally fell on the barn a few hundred meters down the cliff's edge. A small feeling pinged inside of her and her brow furrowed. Her gut twisted slightly; whether in revulsion or anticipation, she wasn't sure.

Something about that barn stirred some long-dormant memory.

She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Sure, she may have been a bit occupied by the wonderful feeling of flying over the gorgeous landscape between Tokyo and the bathhouse, but it wasn't something easy to miss. It lay along the shoreline, and in the daylight she had flew in on, it would have been quite obvious with its red shingling.

"Chihiro!" Rin stumbled into place next to Chihiro, a faint smell of alcohol wafting around her nimble form. She mimicked the other woman's doleful position with an ease only she possessed. The two stared with the same expression at the endless plains until Rin broke the silence. "Something tells me that my usually cheerful Sen is not enjoying herself."

Chihiro flinched at the use of her old nickname. She wished that Rin would drop it already; she had fought to get her real name back for a reason -- it didn't matter if she remembered said reason or not. Her head turned slightly so that the light just barely hit her face. She smiled genuinely when she saw the washed pallor of Rin's skin and the rosy flush in her cheeks. "And something tells _me_ you've been drinking."

"Oh, stop worrying," the other hiccuped with an annoyed smile, turning fully to her friend, "I can hold a few." A thin form swayed dangerously, even with the railing as a support.

"Well you've had a bit more than a few, haven't you?"

"Bite me," Rin retorted lazily, turning and refocusing her attention to the scenery.

"Rin," Chihiro said, her voice quivering in an attempt to act casual, "What's in that barn over there?" A slender hand extended towards the barn Chihiro had been regarding earlier.

"Eh?" Rin's eyes followed the hand, and Chihiro hoped against hope that the other spirit did not register the evident shaking. "Ah, that's the pig barn." Over-saturated boredom clouded the usually beautiful voice of the other spirit.

Chihiro said nothing, but let her arm lower slowly, trying to find the connection within the newly enlarged depths of her mind. Eyelids fluttered a few times, as if the rapid movement would clear the fog. Still, nothing clicked.

"Oi, Sen, you okay?"

Startled, Chihiro looked up again into the puzzled face of her friend. Something flickered behind the confusion, however. Chihiro only saw it for a moment. What was it? Apprehension? Concern? Something in the way Rin's face had flashed told Chihiro that her companion knew something. For the moment, she decided, playing dumb was the easiest action.

"Rin, do I --" Chihiro cut herself off, unsure how to word her query. "Have I been there before?"

A sudden whoosh from above and the soft taps of two feet on the roof made the pair look up. Green eyes smiled down on the pair's antics through a shade of green-black hair. Chihiro, noticing who the figure was, felt her heart leap.

"Haku!" she cried as he leapt to the balcony. The single, two syllable word held all the pain made by his absence and the pure joy at his sudden arrival.

With the barn forgotten and the swirling thoughts in her head swept away at the sight of her dragon, Chihiro rushed into the arms of the river spirit. He smiled softly, allowing the all-too-familiar warmth of her body encompass him. She kept her face buried in his chest. How long had it been? Two weeks? Three? She had stopped counting when the hours contained too much pain.

As Chihiro kept her face out of sight, Haku sent a warning glance to Rin. The other spirit looked away, as if indifferent, but not without seeing the flash of anger in his eyes. She knew that it was not normal for a spirit to retain their memory barrier for this long, but as much as she warned Kohaku about it, it didn't do an ounce of good. He was somehow convinced that Chihiro's memories would break her somehow. Rin didn't see the reasoning, but she knew better than to defy the dragon, especially when his power had multiplied through the reuniting of him and his river.

Rin nearly blanched at the thought of the foreman, who had learned the hard way that some spirits were too powerful to mess with. _And, well, Yubaba is proof enough that Haku has a temper of death,_ she contemplated lightly. _Being told off by what looks to be a child is bad enough, but I'm sure it was a bruise on her ego when she realized that he was winning._

She couldn't really remember when Haku became powerful. It took him so little time and time passes so quickly for spirits. All she knew was that one day he was suddenly powerful, more powerful than Yubaba. Though, when she thought about it, Rin supposed that he always had that power, only losing his river made him too disoriented to see it. No matter the cause, he somehow found/gained power and used it to his advantage. Frequently.

She shot another tentative glance towards the couple. Thinking about time was thought provoking. Chihiro had been in the spirit world for thirty -- forty years. She was like a baby to everyone around. Spirits age however they want, and what Haku had wanted was to be like that little girl who had fallen into his river. It wasn't just coincidence that he was the same age as that lost girl who wandered into their world. He had continually aged himself, whether consciously or by choice, nobody seemed to know. Then, after she was solidified, they aged together. Some twenty years back they stopped and became eternally young. _Well, isn't that every girl's dream? Being united with her only love, her childhood love,_ Rin thought sourly. And that's what Chihiro had, every girl's dream. Rin tried to ignore their happiness, but they were just so perfect. Maybe it was a fabrication, but Chihiro believed it, so that's what made it perfect.

Chihiro finally pulled herself away from the comfort of Haku's embrace, but only to stare up into his face like a love-struck schoolgirl. Which, she fancied, she was. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't resist letting herself get lost in his features. Everything about him made her want to squeal with happiness, which she often did. When Yubaba was thrown from the bathhouse -- a bloody experience that she only heard stories about, never remembered -- Haku somehow finagled his way into the seat of power. With all of the extra revenue he soon brought in, the bathhouse's industry was at its prime. And extra money allowed for maximum pampering on Haku's part.

But as much as she loved him, and as much as he pampered her with gifts, she felt like a suppressed child around him. A foolish child who thought they knew everything, only to be thrown into the world and find out that they had no idea what everything meant.

At the sickening thought, she grimaced and pulled away, turning back to look at the flat plains.

Sensing a trespass on Chihiro's thoughts, Haku turned to Rin. "Could I talk to you in private?" She gave a small scowl, but pushed herself away from the railing and followed him out of Chihiro's earshot anyway.

Haku grabbed her arm and turned her sharply. "What did you think you were doing?" he hissed after shooting an extra glance to insure Chihiro could not hear them.

The other spirit yanked her arm away violently. "Don't you dare dragon. It may be against the King's creed to tell her what happened, but that does not mean that I can't push her a bit."

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and he bared his teeth slightly. "You know what I meant. She's too young of a spirit to remember just yet."

"What?" she nearly shrieked as her eyes widened in disbelief. When he sent a meaningful look at Chihiro, she continued in a lower voice, "You've said that for the past thirty years. You know that she should have lost the block long ago." She trailed off and looked at the subject of the conversation hesitatingly. After a few moments, she turned back to Haku. "I don't care what you think anymore, she needs to remember, if she doesn't she may die."

He flinched at that. She knew that it was the last thing he wanted, to be alone, to watch her waste away. He checked one more time to make absolutely sure that Chihiro remained blind to the secret that many in the bathhouse kept always in their heads.

There was no need to. Chihiro was staring off into the distance, brow furrowed. After Rin had been pulled away, Chihiro realized something. She had always complained to people who called her Sen that she had gotten her name back for a reason -- it seemed that it was a habit that refused to break -- but as she thought more about it, she saw that _she_ didn't know what that reason was. As she racked her brain frantically, she became more and more frustrated.

What was it about today? First she sees a pig barn that she could have _sworn_ had never been there before, making her mind stir as if it was trying to put a familiar face to a long lost name. Then her number one reason for hating the name Sen crumbles to ash to reveal that nothing was as she thought.

She continued to search the dark reaches of her mind for some sort of clue, but continued to grasp at smoke. She turned her frowning face to stare, bemused, at the barn again. Still she did not know what it was about it that made her brain jump into overdrive.

One thing she did know: it was going to bug the hell out of her.

**{{A/N:** I hope that you enjoyed this one. I love this movie, so if you do too, you need to read Velf's story: Courage of the Spirit. It's a trilogy that isn't finished yet, and it's awesome. Sort of the reason why I started writing this fic, but I hop that I don't steal her ideas. That would be bad.

Past rambling, I hope you liked it and if you did, review. You actually really need to because I won't update if I don't feel like people are reading what I write. Not accusing, just stating.

Thanks!**}}**


	2. A Change of Plans

Disclaimer: Spirited Away and its characters belong to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miazaki.

**Chapter 2: A Change of Plans**

Chihiro and Haku stood on the bridge outside of the bathhouse. Chihiro stood leaning on the railing, holding Bou's hand. When he had watched Chihiro and Kohaku aging together, Bou followed suit. It was more for Chihiro though, he had developed something of a boy-crush on her.

She looked at the other spirit. Bou -- his actual name was Takahiro, but like Haku and Sen, names tend to stick -- had lost all of his baby fat. He had a lanky frame, but he still came nowhere near Chihiro or Haku when height was considered. Zeniba often joked that he was still "pre-pubescent." Chihiro smiled. The first time she had heard that joke, she had not learned anything about humans.

_Zeniba pinched Bou's ribcage as she rounded the table, holding a cake that seemed to ooze chocolate. "I think that this one is vanishing all his fat. He's skin all bones but hasn't grown any taller!" She smiled at his scowl of embarrassment. "Oh, don't worry sweetie. It's not your fault you haven't hit puberty." Takahiro's head shot up to stare, dumbfounded, at his aunt._

_Rin's mouth opened in a little "o" of surprise, but she could not hide her giggle at the expense of the younger spirit. Haku looked at his plate, but Chihiro, having the advantage of a view of his profile, could see the small grin on his face. Kamaji's beard twitched slightly and the wrinkles on his face intensified._

_Chihiro blinked silently as everyone, even No-Face, had their quiet laugh. She pouted at the blatant exclusion. Zeniba, after sitting down, unintentionally saw the confusion and anger that was painted ill-fittingly on Chihiro's face. She nudged Haku who, following her gaze, blushed at his brash treatment of his partner._

"_Ano, it's a human thing, Chihiro."_

"_Oh," Chihiro said, feeling stupid. Of course it wasn't their intention to disorient her. They simply forgot that she hadn't learned about the human world yet._

"_Sen," the spider said, extending an arm over to the door where his satchel lay, "take this book. It'll give you at least a small amount of information. Sort of a preparation course."_

_Chihiro smiled happily. It wasn't a full-course meal, but it would hold her over until she could get something better._

Chihiro sighed. _I still haven't learned much. Nobody will let me know anything, apart from Kamaji's book, which wasn't helpful._ It had held some information on the anatomy of humans, but there were no images to help her understand completely. In her head, they were blobs that slightly resembled spirits and smelled like decomposing fish.

"Sen," came Bou's voice, breaking her away from her thoughts. "I think we're leaving now." Chihiro blinked, realizing that she had been staring at him. She smiled and ruffled his black hair lightly. His brown eyes squinted as he gave her a small grimace of discomfort, but he smiled nevertheless.

Chihiro pushed herself off of the railing, Bou following her. She stood in the middle of the bridge, looking back at the bathhouse, where Haku and Kamaji were talking solemnly. Chihiro watched as Kamaji made a witty comment at which Haku threw his head back and laughed aloud. Chihiro smiled. She hadn't seen Haku laugh much lately. The King had been getting on his back about the threatening letters from Yubaba. Chihiro wasn't sure what Haku was supposed to do about it, but he was pressured all the same.

Haku watched Chihiro out of the corner of his eye as he talked to Kamaji. She was worrying him. The block in her mind was, by design, going to begin to deteriorate on its own eventually, but, no matter how he tried to convince himself otherwise, he could not see how its removal would do her any good. Rin's opinion on the matter only further persuaded him. She was smart, that much was true, but in Haku's eyes, she was reckless when she concerned herself with the people she loved.

Haku looked at Chihiro as she said goodbye to a few of her yuna friends.

"It's coming, you know," came the rough sounds of Kamaji's vocal chords.

Haku turned to the other spirit. He had been pestered by a less than sober Rin the night before, if Kamaji was trying to jump on the bandwagon, heads would roll.

The spider spirit continued, "You cannot stop natural processes, just as the humans could not stop the flow of your river. They merely made it take a detour, just as you are doing to her."

"You can hardly compare me to the blundering skylarking of humans, Kamaji."

The other chuckled. "Perhaps, but you cannot deny the fact that you are doing something very similar."

Kohaku raised his eyebrows. "Protecting her is the same as blocking a river to build an apartment building?"

Kamaji paused, considering. "Well, when you put it in such harsh terms, no. But the premise is the same. You want something, the humans wanted something, and you both tried to disrupt nature to fill the void of that lust."

The younger rolled his eyes. _So this is how it's going to be?_ "Humans dam water sources to stop people from dying. Why can't you compare me to that?"

"But in the case of the Nile -- that poor tortured man -- they then have to pay the price of using more irrigation and fertilizer to use the land for farm. There is much about the natural order of life that you should learn more about, Haku."

"Tell that to all of the other spirits," Haku snapped.

Kamaji looked away from the fuming dragon to take in the sight of Chihiro, who was now being chased by Takahiro in circles around the middle of the bridge. He turned back to Haku. "It is beside the point what I compare your actions to. The point is that if you do not stop meddling with Fate's" -- Kamaji made a holy gesture at Fate's name -- "grand scheme, Chihiro will die."

Haku felt his heart freeze. He looked at the ground, afraid to see the anger in the other spirit's eyes.

"Surely you don't expect to get off easily for changing the course of another spirit's life?" the spider continued, "If she can't remember, she will not be able to function normally in society, a society based and run by self sufficiency. The King would never assign a spirit who does not remember her first life. She would be left with the same repeating days for the rest of her life. She could kill herself from the mental strain of keeping the block at bay or simply from the meaninglessness that she would come to recognize and resent. Even if that does not happen, her mind would know that there was a misbalance in her body and try to correct it. It would induce its own sickness in an attempt to rid itself of the error."

Haku raised his head to look at the older spirit, a glare set into the marble complexion of his face. "And what if the opposite should occur?" he hissed defiantly. "If we were to pull her too early from her mind's rehabilitation, she would end up just like Kuchi**•**: a body without a mind, an empty shell."

"She's already begun to show the signs of a finished separation," Kamaji replied easily, gesturing offhandedly to the girl in question, making his hand flop around in the manner of a dead fish. "Do not expect her to remain in ignorance for long."

The river spirit snorted in annoyance. "Until _I _see the signs, I will act accordingly."

Kamaji nearly tutted at the dragon for his inflexibility. "Really, Haku. Why can you not let nature take its course?"

"She's not ready yet; it's too soon." the river spirit huffed with indignation, seeing no other defense. "And besides, she still does not know how to survive in a world without the bathhouse."

"That is because she is not yet able to understand," the older spirit said measuredly, an attempt to hide the impatience that filled him. He exhaled, willing his anger out of him. He stared at the woman in question for a moment, before a thought struck, a plan that could turn the tables completely. "Let her live here for a while."

Haku stared incredulously. "How would that help me?"

"If you let her stay here for more than just two days" -- Haku winced at that, realizing that his method of protecting the block had not been discrete -- "she could remember something."

Haku opened his mouth to point out a flaw when Kamaji cut in again. "Don't worry, she will have us to take care of her if you are not around."

Green eyes in a long, slender face gazed at Chihiro as the mind behind them deliberated. Haku could only think of one more reason to keep Chihiro from the bathhouse, but it was selfish. Then there was the fact that he was afraid to voice it for fear that the spider would laugh in his face.

Kamaji's gaze softened. "You have spent the last forty years by her side constantly. Letting her stay here for two weeks will not kill you."

Haku's face became more pained. "It hasn't been nonstop; don't exaggerate. I just reunited with her last night after three weeks and a day. The King did not lie when he said that this was a strong bond to unite. The love doubled; the happiness doubled; the pain with separation doubled as well."

The spider gave Haku a sympathetic glance, but refused to be swayed from his decision. "It's healthy for you. What if the worst should happen and one of you dies? If the survivor wants to continue to live, it is in your best interest to start with distance." He smiled behind his mustache. "Besides, how do you think we feel when you hog her like that?"

Haku allowed himself a small, sardonic laugh. "You drive a hard bargain, Kamaji. Fine, but only two weeks, and you should expect me to be there every few days."

"I would expect nothing less," beamed Kamaji. He turned again towards the pair in the center of the bridge, still continuing their antics. "Chihiro!"

Chihiro turned. Kamaji was waving one of his eight limbs at her. She glanced at Bou. "Looks like something's changed." She led Bou over to the older spirits, holding her questions back.

"How would you feel about staying at the bathhouse during the next few weeks? I'm sure Rin misses the time you two used to spend together."

Chihiro laughed, disregarding the uneasy feeling that rose in her stomach. "That's true! I only got to see her for a moment last night. And before that I hadn't seen her for two months." She sent a mock glare to Haku, who seemed to be settling a bit of inner turmoil -- by looking at the ground and refusing to speak. She turned back to Kamaji, smiling. "He really is too selfish."

Kamaji's mood lightened. "So you will stay?"

Her gut flipped again. It was suspicious. Usually, Haku told her to stay in their house near Tokyo while he worked at the bathhouse. Why, all of a sudden, was such an invitation extended. She felt her eyes flick to glance in the direction of the barn. Perhaps it was Fate allowing her to sate her curiosity. She called herself back to reality and looked at Bou. "Why not?"

Bou's face fell. "But, Sen. I have to stay at Aunt Zeniba's because of my work." When Bou was old enough, he was given a job supervising at a factory.

Haku remembered when Chihiro was given her temporary job. Every spirit got one until their memory block removed itself. When a person died, they would become solidified by the King. At the same time or a small while after that, they were given a job to ease them into the world before they could become a full fledged spirit. A born spirit like Bou, because they are already solidified, waits about fifteen years until they are given a job. Most spirits weren't given actual jobs until they were fully matured, around thirty. This was to insure not only that they do not suffer from split world syndrome, in the case of a previously dead soul, but also to allow time for their powers to manifest. Born spirits are likely to have the same abilities as their parents, and therefore take less time before being assigned. They also, Haku realized, did not need memory blocks because they had never been humans.

As far as the temporary jobs, the souls of the dead were assigned to places that would allow for the easiest merge between worlds. For example, a human dies in London, but lived in Paris for most of their life. The spirit once solidified to the spirit world would not be assigned to a job in the spirit's equivalent of London, where the spirit died, but rather in the equivalent of Paris, where the better memories were located. The spirit world was geographically identical to the human world, with the exception of the gates.

Chihiro was a highly rare occurrence. Because she came through a gate between the worlds, she spent time in the spirit world before becoming solidified. This gave her the choice to either return to the human world or "die" and become a spirit. Of course, she wasn't given this choice on her first trip, but when she returned by accident at the end of her high school career, she chose to stay.

Haku nearly cursed at the thought. She could have had a normal life, but instead she was left at the mercy of her own mind.

Chihiro's voice brought him out of his musing. "Don't worry, you'll be able to visit every few days." She turned to her dragon. "So how long are we staying?"

The spider nearly hit himself. Of course, Haku might -- however grudgingly -- agree to leaving his counterpart for a small while, but Chihiro would throw a fit before even considering it. Kamaji pulled a composing breath. "Haku has a small amount of business. He can visit, just like Bou, but I'm afraid that he will be occupied in Tokyo for the most part."

There was a saturated moment of silence as Chihiro's brain registered the words, put the moment in a small memory slot, and sent nerve impulses down her spinal chord. Then the air shattered as she whispered hoarsely, "Excuse me?"

Haku's hands clenched before Kamaji spoke. "Please, Sen. Do not act like a spoiled child; it is only two weeks. When will you learn to become independent?"

Chihiro felt the oxygen leaving the air as she took short, restricted breaths. She knew that she was overreacting. She _knew_ that, but it was too much to take in. She was only allowed him for a one day grace period in the middle of a five week separation? Three weeks was bad enough, but when it started to exceed a month, she felt like somebody was grinding a knife into her spine. Fighting for reason, she forced herself to draw in as much as the unforgiving air as she dared before shoving out a reply of, "Of course. It's" -- she drew breath again -- "no problem."

The eldest spirit smiled, despite the note he made in the back of his mind regarding Chihiro's synthetic calm. "Well then, it's settled." He turned to Takahiro. "Your Aunt told me that you should be able to visit within the next four days." There was silence, and he sighed, giving up his attempt to lighten the mood. "I'll wait for you inside, Chihiro."

Haku stooped slightly to put a soft kiss on her forehead, as Chihiro stood stock-still, in the remains of her shock. Bou wrapped his arms around her. She remembered herself and gave him a swift squeeze, saying "I'll see you in four days, ne?" He nodded and pulled away.

The two spirits walked away to where Chihiro and Takahiro had been standing just a few minutes before, when her world had seemed fixed again after three difficult weeks. Haku turned back and waved solemnly, face devoid of any feeling.

She couldn't help it; she rushed in for one last hug. She squeezed until she was sure that she must be causing paralysis to his legs and let the thunder of his heartbeat flow through her body, already synchronized to it. He framed her face gently with his hands, pulling her in for a kiss. It was chaste, much more so than the ones she was used to, but the feeling was still behind it and she felt her heart nearly break for it.

Chihiro watched the pair fly away, her heart clenching. Haku twisted so that, like a ribbon, the small loop shifted all the way down his body before disappearing into the sky. Although he was a good distance away then, she could have sworn she saw him look back to her sadly.

She brushed the tears away angrily. She hated her foolish schoolgirl heartache. Torment from the bond was difficult enough to work around, but the fact that she could not stomach her pain and be brave sickened her. And her complaints about it made it even worse.

She huffed and turned away from the now empty sky, annoying herself with her whining. She was walking through the entrance when something caught in the corner of her eye. She turned. It was to be expected that she wouldn't know her way around the outside of the building; when she traveled, she flew. Chihiro smiled to herself, she was getting rather good at it; she didn't even need Haku's help anymore. She shook her head, refocusing on the door in front of her.

The deep indigo walls had latticed wood tacked on top, so the planks of the waist-high door stood out slightly, but not glaringly, from it. _Well, now that I'm here, I might as well explore before I go back to my room._ She pushed the door open. She crawled through and stood back up. A courtyard lined with flower bushes greeted her. She disregarded the shoji screen and followed a stone path to a second door on the other side of the enclosed garden.

She went through the second door. She knelt on a small platform. It didn't reach the edge of the building, but when she looked past the corner, she could see the far end of the bridge that hung over the railway. She shuffled forward on her knees to peer over the edge of the platform. She saw the grassy ground that met awkwardly with the sheer concrete of the bathhouse's foundation and the turnout where the country-side railway and the rail to Tokyo came together**•**. She stood up and turned around.

She briefly observe the lattice's continuation when she saw something more intriguing. A wooden staircase jutted gawkily from the platform and didn't attach to the concrete wall. Chihiro saw a missing step towards the top. She testing the first and, deducing that it was safe, continued down. She extended her hand to lean on the concrete wall when she jumped over the fallen step, but halfway through the first flight, another broke and she had no choice but to fly down the stairs.

A concrete landing came up, and Chihiro was horrified to see a wall accompanying it. She couldn't stop herself and slammed like a board into it. She stood silently for a second as something flooded through her. That broken board, _she_ was the one who broke it. And she remembered hitting this wall the same way. Hair flying, dirt on a green shirt, yellow shoes kicking up dust.

Hugging the wall like a lover, she stood immobile. _What -- no, when was that? I've never been down these steps before._

"Sen?"

She look up to see a frog sticking his head out of a window a story above the landing. The aroma and steam pouring forth from the opening suggested that he was in the kitchens. _Which makes sense, I guess. The kitchens are in the basement like Kamaji's boiler room._ She pasted a smile on her face and waved her hand once to each side. "I'm just exploring; don't worry about me. Are you already starting the food?"

"Yeah," came the gruff reply as the frog lit his cigarette.

"I'll just let you get to that." Chihiro continued down the steps, which were now concrete and -- thankfully -- attached to the wall.

She let her hand rest on the railing for the last few slivers that excused themselves as steps. There were more steps that curved in the opposite direction to go to the ground, but Chihiro's attention was immediately caught by a green door next to several steaming pipes and lit by a flickering, yellow bulb. She walked up to the door, which had paint chipping off of the edges and around the square window.

The door swung open and she gasped openly.

"Kamaji's boiler room!" She could remember going through this way before, back when the drawers lining the walls were not whitewash. Her brow furrowed. Kamaji always complained about the white, but she hadn't seen why until now. It looked unnatural. They used to be natural brown, and the white was to cover something. But what?

She leaned against Kamaji's pedestal, slid to the ground, and put her head between her hands. It didn't make sense. When she was solidified, she was born. Why, then, was she suddenly remembering things that didn't happen?

She suddenly felt exhausted. _I'll handle it tomorrow, or the next day. I could could probably sleep for weeks at this point._ It must have been the sake, she decided. It would all go away. She was having a terrible dream that spun her world with alcohol and the beginning of hangover.

Comfortable with that image, she crawled over to Kamaji's pink futon and unrolled it. She would tell Rin and Haku that story in the morning and they would all laugh. She would fly with Bou and Haku, leaving Bou at Zeniba's house, waving for a second. Then she would go home and--

Kamaji's door slammed open and Rin stormed through. Chihiro sat up swiftly, not enjoying the anger that seemed to pour from the other woman.

"What were you thinking? No, don't answer that; I don't want to know." Rin allowed herself a cleansing breath. "You could have at least told us you were going to endanger your life, rather than letting us stand around like idiots until a frog -- for Kings' sake, a frog? Until a frog came up from the kitchens to tell us that you were going down the back steps." Rin rolled her eyes. "You have no concept of self-preservation. Honestly, Sen, what will we do with you?"

"I guess you'll just have to tether me to yourselves."

Rin stopped, unsure how she should reply to such a bizarre statement. So, she laughed.

"Well it would work," Chihiro said, affronted. She watched agitatedly as her friend let out wave after wave of deranged giggles. As she did, she felt the corners of her scowling mouth tug until she, too, was cackling at the ridiculous image of a giant tether chain throughout the bathhouse.

Rin composed herself first, playfully punching Chihiro's shoulder as she straightened and let the last of the laughs die off. "Well I could never stay mad at you anyway. But really, what made you want to explore so suddenly?"

Chihiro gasped, drawing her hand up into the cliched image of astonishment. "Oh, Rin! I nearly forgot!" She jumped up and grasped on to the other spirit's arm. "When I ran into a wall, I remembered going down those steps before. And again, when I came through the door, I remember going through it, but when the cabinets weren't white -- they do look rather ugly in white, don't they?"

For a split second, Chihiro saw a look of joy spread over Rin's face, but when she blinked, it had gone again. She felt stifled suddenly, and the moment from the night before came to mind. RIn had initially seemed . . . Well, something had been there, only Rin pretended there wasn't.

Rin shook her head. "You might have hit you head too hard on that wall. We should really get you upstairs."

"But Rin, I wasn't hallucinating!" the brunette shrieked, yanking herself away. "I felt like I had uncovered part of myself that I didn't even know existed. It was like a previous life."

Rin sighed. _You really have no idea._ She looked at Chihiro for a minute, seeing the desperation in her eyes. She needed a way to give in without breaking the rules. Then something clicked and she spoke. "We can talk it over with Kamaji later; he's older than most spirits. But right now, you are just too tired, so come on." She dragged Chihiro to the sliding door and crawled through. "If you want to come, you can. If you stay, I'm not feeding you."

"Rin!" Chihiro called before she could crouch to go through the door. "I need you to tell me the truth. What do you know about me?"

Rin's head reappeared, a sad smile on its surface. "Assuming that I knew, I couldn't tell you." She saw Chihiro's face fall and quickly recovered. "But what I _can_ do is help you. And so can Kamaji." She extended her hand. "We will fix this, Sen."

Chihiro stared for a few seconds, deliberating the sincerity behind her friend's words. Slowly -- uncertainly -- she nodded and took her friend's hand.

**{{A/N:** So, second chapter! Sorry that it took so long, for those of you who were waiting for me to update. I did attempt to make it as long as I was expecting of myself. I do apologize, however, for the extensive explanation of various things, but it was necessary for the story to function and, well, I don't want to stretch explanations along twenty chapters. Anyway, I won't bore you with my petty worries; if you have any thoughts, communicating them is encouraged. Bottling up emotions can and does lead to serious side effects.

Extra notes from myself are indicated by •s. If you see them, don't worry; I explain things that need explaining in the story. Wait until the end to look.

Thank you for reading!

1• Kuchi is a character from the movie. If you watch Chihiro's first actual day at work, about halfway through the movie, before she let's No-Face in, a yuna tells Chihiro to get out of her way. The name is on the yuna's tag, though I might have read the character wrong.

2• One track goes through the bathhouse and the small town (I have dubbed this as the Tokyo railway). The other goes across the ocean/grassland. This can be seen when Chihiro is about to test the stairs.**}}**


	3. Visitors

Disclaimer: Spirited Away and its characters belong to Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miazaki.

**Chapter 3: Visitors**

Chihiro lay on her bed, gazing at the plain ceiling of the yuna's room. She did have her own room, of course, but after the events of the day, Rin hadn't really wanted to let Chihiro out of her sight. So, Chihiro got to sit, listening to the bantering of the workers while she tried to sort things out in her head.

Kamaji had been terribly cryptic as they walked back down to the boiler room. The more questions she asked, the more evasive he became. In the end, all he had really told her was that she had to figure it out for herself, but he and Rin were allowed to push her in the right direction. He then told her that she needed to get out of the boiler room, as her had too much on his hands already.

Dejected, Chihiro had let Rin guide her back to the main floors of the bathhouse, where she sulked on a bridge that spread over the baths. When most of the customers were in their rooms, Rin led her to the staff's mass bedroom. As she tried to block out the chatter of the yuna, she had, at one point, fallen asleep.

So, here she was, staring at the ceiling. When Rin and all of the other spirits had gotten up, she supposed that she could have gone to breakfast with them, but she hadn't found it in her to get up. So, as the futons were cleaned up around her, she stubbornly buried her head in her pillow and groaned pathetically when Rin checked to see if she was awake. She was left in the room, but she heard and felt a note being dropped on her blankets before Rin left the room. _No doubt a letter of condolences_, she thought sourly.

Chihiro heaved herself up, disregarding the way her muscles wavered from sleep. The paper slipped to the floor. She stretched her arm over to pick it up. The characters twisted together slightly in her tired vision, but she blinked and she could read clearly.

_Sen_

_You have breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen, if you want it. If you want to leave the building, find me first; I'm sure that the foreman will know where I am. Kamaji apologizes, but he cannot see you until tomorrow, he has to clean the boilers all day. Well, supervise the soot cleaning the boilers all day. I know you wanted to talk, but it can wait. Wear yourself up today so that you can sleep tonight, you kept me awake with all that tossing and turning._

_Rin_

Chihiro groaned. With Rin and Kamaji busy all day, she couldn't try to weasel more information out of them. That aside, it wiped her schedule of the day clean. _Now what's stopping me from killing myself?_ she huffed as she stood up and rolled her futon. She walked over to the wall opposite the sliding doors. In one of the cabinets, she stuffed her futon among the others and jammed the door shut again, though it protested with groaning as the wood bend to accommodate the extra baggage.

She walked outside to the railing, closing the door behind her. She looked at the pig barn -- that damned pig barn -- and mused. She couldn't possibly do anything worthwhile; Haku had yelled at Rin the last time she helped the yunas; Kamaji always complained when she distracted him from the constant flow of tags; and the forman glared at her constantly when she just sat around. Something about loafers and the bathhouse's image. She sighed, pushing herself off of the railing, and slouched down the stairs.

_I guess I'll just go out to the town, there has to be _somebody_ there,_ she thought as she went. She found Rin without going to the foreman. She was yelling at a few of the younger girls for "lounging around." Chihiro explained to her that she was going out to sightsee. The older spirit waved her away nonchalantly, and Chihiro picked up that she didn't actually hear what she said. She turned away anyway and headed towards the town.

The shadow spirits occupied the town. They only came out after dark, for obvious, albeit cliched reasons. They still did business during the day, though. The credit system -- as Zeniba liked to call it -- of the bathhouse and its surrounding town made it so that vendors knew exactly who the spirit was. This made it difficult for stealing during the day, as all spirits knew not to mess with the calamitous temper of the shadow spirits.

Chihiro passed the dark shops. She would have called, but she knew it was a pointless endeavor. She stepped lightly through the streets, and decided that she would explore the fields. For whatever odd reason -- as so often was the case behind his actions -- Haku was very reluctant when she asked to see them. In fact, he had only ever let her look at them. She glanced behind her, an instinct to protect a guilty action. _Well, there's no time like the present._

She took the first step down the short flight rather hesitantly. She put her hand on the top of the frog, gathering her strength. The rest of the steps were taken two at a time. She carefully navigated the stones that sat at the bottom of the steps.

She wasn't sure why, but during the day the river became a mere trickle under the stones which she had just stepped over. It was one of the odd things that nobody bothered explaining to her.

She felt herself fill with a fluttering feeling -- whether it was the thrill of breaking stupid rules or the beauty of the open space around her, she wasn't sure. Overcome by the giddiness, she twirled through the tall grass before a strange sound cut her short. It was a soft wailing, a strange mix of frustration and anguish. Chihiro cocked her head and, curious, followed the sound. It pulled her away from the town and towards a building with a clock tower in the distance. As she came over a hill, she saw her.

The girl had tears streaming down her cheeks and her face was blotchy from crying. At Chihiro's appearance, her distraught face shifted to bear a look of disgust. Deep pink lips beneath a button nose parted to violently snarl at the unsuspecting spirit. "So she sends the cleaning lady instead of getting me herself. Tell her I don't want her fake compassion. _You_ should be happy, at any rate. You'll have one less room to clean with me gone."

Chihiro stared worriedly at the shrieking creature. She would have wondered what was wrong, but the foul stench the permeated the air forced her to borderline suffocation. She felt like her face would shrivel from exposure. She was barely able to comprehend the other through her nausea.

"You don't even care though! You were just sent to get the spoiled girl who flipped out because her room was too small. Is that what you're thinking? Cause I wasn't actually mad about that, for your information!" Chihiro felt like rolling her eyes. This girl was obviously a newborn; the way she carried herself and handled her problems gave away that much. "I've been mad all of this time because she still insists on planning my life around my music. I used to love the flute, you know! But because I _had_ to be the best at it, I hate it! I can't even stomach--"

"Quiet!" Chihiro screeched.

The girl looked a bit taken aback at the other's sudden outburst; it was obvious to Chihiro that, while the girl was used to being pushed around, she expected people to listen to everything she managed to get from her mouth.

Chihiro took a swatch of fabric from her front pocket and held it over her face. "Why do you smell so rotten? You do not look a stink spirit," she choked out, her voice muffled by the cloth.

The girl stared blankly. "What smell?"

Chihiro finally let herself roll her eyes as her annoyance got the best of her. "Have you removed your sense of smell? The air is too putrid to stomach." An idea hit her and embarrassment followed it quickly. "Oh, you must be Akemi's new daughter!" She laughed awkwardly, noticing quietly that the other was still tensed. "Well this is a bit humiliating. I'm really sorry, truly. We haven't met before, so I could not recognize you." She walked up to the girl, grabbing her by the arm. "I've heard from your mother that you are simply dying to meet Haku, but he's away in Tokyo. But I think you should stay anyway; we know so little about you."

The two women were walking through the streets of the bathhouse's little town; rain was patting lightly on their heads, but growing increasingly stronger. Chihiro tried to ignore the smell the simply oozed from her companion. Akemi was a nearby earth spirit who had bonded to a stink spirit. _It's a wonder that those spirits manage to keep from extinction,_ Chihiro thought as she led the other across the bridge to the bathhouse.

"What is your name?" Chihiro asked as they passed the hidden door and into the building.

The girl, who looked thoroughly confused and terrified, answered quietly, "Misora."

"Sen!" cried Rin as the pair walked up to the disgruntled spirit. "What Gods-awful pit of mud did you--" She cut herself off when she saw the girl standing next to her friend. Her face paled instantaneously. "A human! Sen, what are you playing at?" Silence shuddered over the staff room, yunas turning to stare, frogs holding their breath as the stench hit them. Then the room filled with shouts and cries of protest.

Rin grabbed Chihiro, who had been stunned into silence and was now staring in awe at Misora, and the human in question. She dragged them out of the room, despite the wailing of the staff within.

Chihiro felt her arm being dropped when they turned the corner, but flinched to see the vice grip that was still present on Misora's. They passed through and exited the kitchen before Rin finally broke the silence.

"We need to get her to somebody who can manage any sickness that she has to deal with. Chihiro," the young spirit looked up when addressed. "Take her to Kamaji, I'm going to send for Zeniba. And Haku, if I can." Rin dropped Misora's arm and walked the opposite direction.

The doors and cogs creaked and clanged obnoxiously as the ancient contraption reached its destination. Chihiro turned to the service elevator, then to Misora. "I suggest that you follow me. I've read about the sicknesses that humans can get when they cross over, Kamaji is the one to go to right now."

Misora, who seemed to have come out of whatever stupor she was in before, hesitated.

"You know, we won't bite. I think that I'm just as scared as you are. I've never met a human before." Misora continued to look unconvinced. Chihiro wished she could laugh to break the tension, but could not bring herself to. Instead she pulled a sigh. "You won't get anywhere if you don't take a few chances."

The girl looked down the hallway, to where the other had disappeared. Turning back to Chihiro, the fear from her face had left -- or, at least, she had managed to hide it well enough. Seeming to decide that she did not want to appear meek, Misora marched into the elevator, glaring defiantly at Chihiro. The spirit would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't been fascinated by the surprising physicality of the human.

When they reached the bottom, Misora stared in wonder at the large cogs and weights that powered the bathhouse's interior. They crawled through the hole to the boiler room with Misora first, her mouth still agape. Kamaji looked up from his herbs, an air of curiosity about him. When he saw (and smelled) Misora, his eyebrows rose far above his glasses.

"A human? Sen, what have you been up to?"

Chihiro, finding room for sarcasm, replied, "Nothing too interesting."

He laughed, but Chihiro heard the well concealed tension that she had watched flow through his body. After the false laughter died in his throat, a heavy silence reigned throughout the boiler room, punctuated only by the rain beating on the door to the steps and the soft rustling of the susuwatari•. Suddenly, Kamaji extended his arm across the room -- an action which shocked the human girl -- and beckoned the young girl over.

She took uneven, frightened steps over to the wizened spider. He chuckled again. "Don't worry; I am one of the few harmless spirits of my power."

She looked only slightly reassured, but her footfall immediately evened and strengthened. She stood in front of him, gazing with no reservations into his face -- not at his shriveled legs, or his six flexible, stretchable arms. No, she stared at his face. _She doesn't belong in the mortal world. No, like Chihiro she belongs with the spirits_.

He smiled a crinkled-eyed smile. "There's the spark humans rarely have." His gaze turned serious. "But you might lose that. Tell me, do you remember if you looked behind you when you when through the old clock tower?"

She was puzzled at this question. She furrowed her brow, as if trying to remember. "Probably not," she answered slowly after a pause. "But I can't be sure."

He nodded. "Have you felt queazy or weak since exiting the clock tower?"

She paused again in thought. "No."

"Well then," he said, already retreating to his work, "it seems that our little friend here has nothing to worry about. If, by some chance, she does start feeling unwell, just bring her down to me."

Chihiro nodded and tugged Misora towards the door, deciding that Kamaji had been delayed long enough. They walked back up to the main floor. In the elevator, Misora asked, "So that's it?"

Chihiro looked at her and, seeing no worry or fear left in her eyes, replied. "Kamaji is one of the truest spirit I know. If I couldn't trust him, I wouldn't trust anybody." This seemed to reassure the other, and a two small, almost invisible smiles were seen in the elevator.

Misora spent most of the rest of the day following Chihiro and Rin around. The rain didn't let up until a little before the end of Rin's shift. When they were ready to sleep, they went through the cabinets in search of a spare futon. After a while, they gave up searching and sat down to eat their dinner on the balcony.

"You know, Misora, it's funny," Chihiro whispered contemplatively.

The girl glanced at her. "What is?"

"I only met you today," a smile broke onto her face, "but I already feel like we're friends."

Misora shared the grin. "I feel the same about you." She turned to the other spirit. "Both of you."

Rin nodded appreciatively, and the three turned out to the soaked grassland.

Misora sighed, gazing at the scenery through the wooden railing. The water covered the ground entirely, showing the full expanse of the landscape. She bit into the onigiri. "It looks like an ocean."

"What did you expect," Rin snapped at her irritably, "after all that rain?"

Chihiro gasped. Misora turned to see what her problem was. The woman's eyes were glassy and she stared off into the distance. She didn't move, didn't breathe. Misora glanced at Rin. "What's her problem?"

Rin put her hand on the other spirit's shoulder. Slowly, Chihiro's head turned; she was smiling. "I remembered, Rin. When I --" she paused. "The first time I came here, we were celebrating something and I said that it was like an ocean."

Rin smiled, and Misora felt confusion well up and bubble over. "Come again?"

Laughing, Rin answered, "Sen's had her -- Well let's just say that she's getting back to normal." Rin smiled and turned away, mentally begging for the others to follow suit.

Misora was still unsatisfied. "Chihiro, what have you been seeing?"

The woman's smile faltered, and she looked down. When she looked up, she responded, "I don't really know what it is. It's like, remembering a life I've --"

Rin's voice broke through her friend's. "Haku, you're here!" She was waving out to something in the distance, above the water.

The other two turned, Misora nearly screaming. Rapidly approaching was a shining white dragon, with a sea green mane. When it was close enough that she could see the individual scales, it changed into a man. He was tall, but not exceedingly so. His face was average sized, though if she wanted to be picky, she would have said that it was on the thin side. His hair looked black in the dim light, but she saw green flashes when it caught the lamps' rays.

He smiled at her, making her heart flutter. It was terrifying the way his pointed teeth fit together in perfection -- _maximizing prey vulnerability,_ she thought grimly. And yet, whether she admitted it or not, it was charming in it's own way. It's own petrifying way.

"So here you are," he finally said, breaking the silence. "What is your name.?"

Misora wasn't sure if she could convince herself to move, let alone respond, but somehow her social ticks got the better of her fear and her voice managed to choke out, "Misora."

"Well, Misora," he said, still smiling, "it seems that you have stirred up quite a bit of excitement. Would you mind talking to me for a few minutes?"

Misora glanced at the other two women. Chihiro seemed overcome just by the sight of the man and didn't even look at Misora. Rin, however, gave a reassuring, though slightly hesitant nod. Misora heaved herself up, deciding to ignore the hand he had extended to assist her.

He led her around the corner of the walkway. He peeked back while she turned around to insure they were out of earshot. _I seem to be doing that a lot, lately._ He faced her.

"Do you know that you should not be here?"

She looked taken aback by the question, but she forced a mindless, default answer. "No, how would I be able to know that? I've only been here half a day."

He felt frustration well up inside of him. He had forgotten how difficult some humans enjoyed being. "Listen, if you stay, it could have serious effects on a person who means more to me than anything else."

Misora glared indignantly. "What's your problem? Your friends don't mind me."

"My problem?" He wanted to scoff. "My problem is that you could undo everything I've worked to protect for half a decade. That aside, you are putting yourself in danger by staying. I'm not required to take you back, but as one of the few people who knows of your presence here, I would be held responsible. You don't realize how many would have simply ended your life on sight."

"But I'm still here, and obviously there aren't many people nearby who would, or I'd be dead already."

He grunted, but it sounded more like a prissy huff. "You're still not seeing my side. You are endangering the only person who ever meant something to me."

She felt her heart ache a bit at the romantic implications of what he was saying. Then the lonely stab provoked the anger again. "How terrible that must be for you, to love someone," she spat.

"Just because you're a whining teenage girl who thinks the whole world hates her," he snarled, glaring, "doesn't give you the right to judge me. I learned a long time ago not to scoff at something when I would die to have it."

Misora was taken aback. Then, as she realized the truth, her expression softened. "You're right, I would kill for that. Chihiro's very lucky to have somebody so concerned about her." _Lucky to have someone concerned at all,_ she added internally.

He blushed. Or, she supposed, he did the spirit equivalent of blushing. Either way, he spluttered to cover her discovery. "How -- what? Who says that I'm in love with Chihiro?"

"Please," she smiled, "It's too obvious. Besides, if you didn't give it away, Chihiro would have. She was making google eyes like I've never seen."

He stared at her for a second, ruffled, then continued as if there was never a detour from his intended subject. "You need to leave as soon as possible. If you cared an ounce for your parents, you would consider that they are going to be worried."

It was Misora's turn to look incredulous. She took hold of his arm, ignoring the way his skin turned white around her ragged fingernails from the excess pressure she exerted. "Well they don't, so I have no reason to go back"

"You forget that you do," he shot back, tearing his arm away from the talons. "Every second you spend here adds to the danger of an innocent person, and if you are any type of decent, that would make you concerned."

"Not as concerned as it makes me not to know all of the facts. What is so strange about me that could threaten somebody's life?"

He dodged, "Why does that matter? It should be enough to know it could."

"Oh, so I'm just going to assume that you're not lying even though we just met?"

Haku shook his head. "Why would I have reason to lie? As you said, we just met; I can't have found a reason to trick you."

"Con artists lie to people they've never met," she retorted easily.

He smiled, despite himself. "Touche."

Misora grinned. "Don't set traps for yourself." Her smile faltered. "But seriously, I'm not careless. If you don't want me to talk about it, fine. But don't take the only people who talk to me away. Besides," she continued, as her grin returned carrying a hint of sadness behind it, "you wouldn't want to deprive Chihiro of her new favorite playmate, would you?"

He smiled obligingly, but did not answer verbally. It didn't matter, Misora knew she had won. She followed him back to where Chihiro and Rin were giggling together.

Before Haku had the chance to clear his throat, the young spirit had already given him her complete attention. Misora would have felt sorry for her, but the jealousy that still coursed faintly through her overpowered any pity that rose in it's expanse. The pity lay underneath it, watching the pathetic way that the young women clung to every word that left his lips. Misora couldn't deny that he was magnificent, and something about him made her know that he would never hurt a person unless they deserved it. Or provoked him enough.

But she didn't miss the way Chihiro's soul sunk away from her eyes, as if it was submitting completely to the man's. _She either has an inferiority complex or she's too stupid to stand for herself._

"I know," said a gravelly voice in her ear. "It's difficult to believe how powerful her love is." Misora turned to see a woman with eyes as big as saucers and a nose that could be its own country. She felt her heart seize in fear. She couldn't speak.

"Yes, it's true. She's not stupid, she's not humble, she's just in love." The woman looked at her full on. "And you, being starved of it yourself, are unable to understand why she reacts as she does."

The trembling human had no idea how to reply coherently, so she fainted.

"Oh, dear!" Zeniba wailed softly, but without any conviction so that Rin had to stop herself from laughing out loud.

Haku's annoyance spread clearly across his face. "When did you get here, Zeniba."

"Oh," Zeniba trailed nonchalantly, "a few minutes before you did."

He snarled. "Do you mean that you could have helped me deal with her?" He pointed to the collapsed girl as his sentence finished.

"Well I see that you definitely needed it, since you seem to be in no hurry to put her in a comfortable position." Chihiro, who has been snapped out of her love's trance by the thump of the human's body on the wood, was moving the girl's head onto her lap instead of face-down onto the floor while Rin, who had only followed Chihiro's intentions, was adjusting the lax limbs into a more natural position. "At least women have some manners," Zeniba continued. She leaned over the limp body and, tutting in disapproval, turned back to Haku. "She's going to be sore in the morning. Can't you handle _anything_ by yourself?"

Haku sputtering in an attempt to point out that it was Zeniba who had shocked the girl enough to faint, but was cut off before he could utter a word.

"So, how are we to deal with her?" Zeniba said.

Chihiro was the first to speak. "Oh please let her stay! She's so interesting, even if she does smell."

"But Sen," Rin said, her tone making it almost a coo, "her parents will definitely be worried about her. She can't never go see them. And, if she's still with her parents, she also has to worry about school. These are very important for humans."

Chihiro felt her face wrinkle slightly. She didn't remember her parents; she wasn't even sure she had parents. What was it with humans that kept children and parents together for a quarter of the child's life?

"Haku," she pleaded, "You can't send her away. None of the humans are friendly with her. And I can't just let her to wallow in her suffering."

Haku paused, second guessing himself. He turned to the ancient witch. "What do you think?"

Zeniba smiled a smile that was on the brink of terrifying. "I don't see any harm in letting her visit when she can." But I think we should return her to her parents. Take Kane, she has the shift now, and she's the most human looking yuna at your disposal."

Haku nodded solemnly and took the girl in his arms. "I'll explain to her when she wakes up; she's bound to soon." He walked over to Chihiro. "I'll have to go straight back to Tokyo afterwards; I can't return just to see you."

A tear slid down her face, to her frustration. "I know." He pressed his lips to her temple, and she closed her eyes, savoring the contact. When she opened them, he was gone.

**{{A/N:** New chapter for all of you. Sorry that it's so late, but I do what I can. So, some might have noticed that I changed the title from "Secrets" to "Floral Fabric Falsehoods". I wouldn't really worry about it -- unless you have OCD or something -- I just didn't feel it was flashy enough. So when you see a flowery fabric print, think of me! Or this story, at any rate.

Side note: I tend to bounce back and forth between spellings -- especially the words where there's more than one spelling. Just ignore me; I'm strange.

I'd tell you to review, but let's assume that you already know to do that.

1• Susuwatari are the soot balls in the boiler room.**}}**


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